The Making of an Unshakable Life

The great questions of Psalm 15 “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary?” and “Who may live on your holy hill?” centers on the realization that there are conditions which are present and must be fulfilled if one is to obtain the privileged life that lives in the favor of the Lord. Jesus echoes this idea throughout the Gospels in making statements such as “…anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27), “ For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20) and “ I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15). In making such statements, one could easily argue that there are individuals who inherit salvation based on their faith in the work of Christ who are vastly different from those who have experienced salvation but have inherited the kingdom of God as a way of life. The latter are the people, who Spurgeon explains that are “Members of the visible church, which is God’s tabernacle of worship, and hill of eminence,” that “diligently see to it, that they have the preparation of heart which fits them to be inmates of the house of God.”[i] Those who “dwell” in God’s sanctuary and “live on His holy hill” have made certain “marks” in their lives----lines in the sand that have propelled them into a life of Christian maturity.

Centuries before Jesus revealed to His disciples the challenges that would face those who desired to obtain a life defined by the kingdom, David penned the words of Psalm 15 realizing that in order to become a person whose life would be identified as being “unshakable” in worshiping Yahweh, there were stipulations which needed to be fulfilled to experience such a life. Although it only contains five verses, Psalm 15, reveals three “marks” of maturation that must be present in one’s life if one is to live an “unshakable life” that is defined by the presence of God; consequently, these three “marks” are the result of the life-long journey of pursuing a life of spiritual formation, which is steeped in discipline and exercised through the desire to know God deeply and passionately.

The first mark of maturity that allows one to live an unshakable life is purity. David said in response to his question of “who may dwell..?” (v.1) in the sanctuary and holy hill of God, that it is “He whose walk is blameless…”(v.2) who will be able to reside there. The Hebrew word, tamiym means “complete, whole, without defect, and entirely in accord with truth and fact.”[ii] Blamelessness infers that when a life is under examination through the eyes of the Lord, He is seeing a complete, unadulterated heart that is free from sinful contaminates. The whole person is able to stand in purity before the Lord. The way of blamelessness, however, is not an easy road for the believer to walk. It is evident that those who would strive for purity in a world that is over wrought with sin would need to maintain a disciplined life. This calls for the practice of submission in every area of one’s life. Richard Foster explains that submission is “…the ability to lay down the burden of always needing to get our own way.”[iii] It is the self-less life that leads to the blameless life as one seeks to fulfill the living out of the pure love of Christ in “laying down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). As one submits to the will of the Lord, he is able to fulfill the act of blameless living as David described as “who does his neighbor no wrong” (Ps. 15:3).

The second mark of maturity found in Psalm 15 is obedience. David’s observation that those whose walk is “blameless” may dwell in the unshakable place of the Lord’s presence is followed by the addition of “and who does what is righteous” (v.2). The word righteous in this context portrays the meaning of doing what is “ethically and morally right.”[iv] In order for one to do what is morally and ethically “right” one must adhere to the commandments of the Lord. By doing so, one is exercising the discipline of worship. Foster writes that “just as worship begins in holy expectancy, it ends in holy obedience…in all things and in all ways we do exactly what Christ says because we have a holy obedience that has been cultivated over years of experience.”[v] Although the believer has been given a “righteousness in Christ” (Phil. 3:9), the act of righteousness, which David is referring to in Psalm 15, is something which must be exercised in one’s life. Disciplines such as study, prayer, worship, and service, all play an important role in developing an obedient heart which seeks to live out the commandments of the Lord. Only in doing so can one “do what is righteous;” otherwise, acts of righteousness would be exercised through selfish motives rather than the desire to please God. David inserts the application of what the practice of righteousness reflects itself in one’s life as being “…has no slander…does no wrong…casts no slur…keeps his oath…and does not accept a bribe” (Ps. 15:3-5). Thus, obedience to what the Lord requires in one’s life results in acts of righteousness which allows one to “…dwell in your sanctuary” in unshakable worship before the Lord.

The third mark of maturity found in Psalm 15 is one of “integrity.” It has been said, that “Integrity is who you are when no one is looking.”  David’s reflection on this idea in Psalm 15 is found in the phrase, “…who speaks the truth from his heart” (Ps. 15:2). The word “truth” denotes “faithfulness, stability, continuance and reliability.”[vi] Speaking truth from one’s heart expresses more than spoken words. Motives and thoughts are things which also come from the heart. If one is not faithfully, continually, and reliably living out the “truth” of the Christian life then speaking “truth” from one’s heart would be an impossibility. Only a person who will remain true to themselves can fulfill what David had in mind for this requirement of the unshakable life. Matthew 5: 8 states “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”  John Stott notes that those who have a “pure heart” have a heart that is “utterly sincere,” furthermore, he adds that “Their whole life, public and private, is transparent before God…yet how few of us live one life and live it in the open.”[vii] Truth encompasses the essence of the spiritual disciplines. Without one living in integrity, the foundations of spiritual formation cannot be supported as one would deny the truth of who he is in Christ and opt to live his life governed by the flesh. To dwell in the sanctuary of God and live in His holy hill, however, the believer must be true to the life he has been given and through that life----physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, speak the truth in all things.

A life that reflects purity, obedience and integrity is not a result of an instantaneous work of the Spirit; rather, it is a result of a life that journeys on the road of spiritual formation. Psalm 15 shares the important truth that if one chooses to embark on the journey one can live an unshakable life which dwells with the presence of God. Although the believer has been given all he needs in Christ to fulfill what is required for the unshakable life, he must realize that “sufficient strength and insight” will not “be automatically infused into our being in the moment of need.”[viii] The context of Psalm 15 makes it clear that the privilege of living the unshakable life is a matter of choice. God cannot make His people choose purity, obedience or integrity. He cannot make them choose a holy life nor can He make them choose a disciplined life. He can, however, make it possible. By giving the believer the opportunity to take the “yoke” of Christ upon him and by “adopting His overall life style,” the unshakable life becomes a reality.[ix] This reality can only be made possible through a life of spiritual formation. The disciplining of one’s self to live as Jesus lived. The provision has already been made. One only needs to discipline one’s self to pursue the life that has been provided. In other words, mature in the Christian life. If one can do that, then he can come to live the unshakable life that dwells in the presence of the Lord.

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[i] C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: vol. 1(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 176.

[ii] Edward W. Goodrick and John R. Kohlenberger III, The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 1508.

[iii] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (New York: Harper One, 1998), 111.

[iv] Francis Brown, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008), 841.

[v] Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, 173.

[vi] Blue Letter Bible. "Book of Psalms 15 - (NIV - New International Version)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 3 Oct 2010. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Psa&c=15&t=NIV >.

[vii] John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1978), 49.

[viii] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines,(New York: Harper One, 1988), 4.

[ix] Ibid., 5.

Why is God Hiding From Me?

 After taking a week off from the blog, I have struggled to figure out what’s next? A few week’s ago, I attended my annual pilgrimage to Green Bay for my yearly silent prayer retreat. As much as I want to “move on” from my incredible encounter with the Spirit of the Lord and begin to walk the journey which he has placed before me in this upcoming year, I cannot get past the convicting truth which He has brought to my attention---and yes, you guessed it, it is a truth I will now share with you. Two years ago at the retreat, God had me focus on the story of Hezekiah and the purification of the temple. And while he reminded me that that time is now in preparing my temple and that I should not be negligent in doing so ( see 2 Chronicles 29), apparently he was not done in teaching me something through this powerful passage of Scripture as He brought it to me this year once again.

King Hezekiah was a great king and we typically think of a man of faith and a man who trusted the Lord in all he did; however, we sometimes forget about what Hezekiah’s life also produced-----a Manasseh, who was considered to be among the most wicked of Judah’s kings. One has to wonder how such a man of “faith” was inept in making a impact upon his son. Although Hezekiah was a “good” king, he was not without his issues. The end of Hezekiah’s reign did not fair well as his “pride” became his downfall (see 2 Chronicles 32). After God has miraculously healed him and delivered him from the hand of the Assyrians, Hezekiah had allowed pride to enter his heart and caused judgment to fall upon the nation. The end result of his life was a Manasseh.

What causes “Manassehs?” I believe the answer to these things is found in Hezekiah’s dealings in purifying the temple in 2 Chronicles 29. Like Hezekiah, many of us have a passion for the church. We have a passion for worship to take place in the Body of Christ. We long for God to move among his people and we will do whatever it takes to see the “temple” where we worship purified and blessed by the Lord. As Hezekiah began the process, however, he ran into an interesting problem. While there were “Levites” who were more than ready to be used of God and were consecrated to do so, there was a lack of priests to finish the job. 2 Chronicles 29:34 states that “The priests, however, were too few to skin all the burnt offerings; so their kinsmen the Levites helped them until the task was finished and until other priests had been consecrated, for the Levites had been more CONSCIENTIOUS in CONSECRATING themselves than the priests had been.”

At first glance, we may think “What’s so bad about that?” However, when we consider the implications of what that points to, it is rather convicting! The Levites were individuals who were “set apart” for the service of God. Like many of us, we have an area of our life which we have set apart for the service of God. It may be being a member on a worship team, small group leader, deacon, or an usher. Regardless of where it is you may serve, many of us do a great job of making sure that our “service” to the Lord is a consecrated aspect of our lives. Hezekiah’s service to the people of God as “King” was something that he did extremely well in leading the people of God. He understood that as king, he needed to be obedient, trusting, and faithful to the Lord. We would not dispute that concerning our own lives as well. Being in a ministry at the church requires that we also be “consecrated” in fulfilling that ministry.

The priesthood, on the other hand, speaks to something much deeper that Levitical ministry. The priesthood was a life-long calling. It was more than a ministry but it was indicative of the person----they were the “priests” of the Living God. In other words, Levitical ministry is something you do while the priesthood is someone you “are.” I believe that in the church today, we have many who are consecrated in “doing” their ministry, but few who are “consecrated” in all of life! Hezekiah, while being a great king, failed miserably as the priest of his home. He did “kingship” well, but what about his personal life when he was away from the throne?

It is not difficult to the parallels in this story. We have churches full of people who serve the church well in what God has called them to----but what about their lives outside of the church? Are they living consecrated lives? When the TV goes on at home, is the temple remaining “consecrated or are we allowing things which compromise our priesthood? Does our “holy” conversation at church sound like the conversation we have behind close doors in the security of our homes? Do we serve our family like we treat the people we “minister” to with the same passion and respect? Or is home a place to take a “day off” from the grueling task of being “consecrated?”

True worship can only take place in a purified temple. If we fail to keep the temple truly consecrated, then God will do something incredible----he will “hide” from us” (2 Chronicles 32:31). By removing His presence, he will reveal the truth about what is truly in our hearts. Unfortunately, we discover that despite the fact that we serve Him faithfully in the church, His presence remains elusive. Could it be that because we do not see the need to have all of life consecrated unto Him that the process of having a purified temple cannot be made complete? Its not that God does not want to make His presence known to His people but it is because we have yet to live in a way where we act as if we truly desire it. The real fruit of our live will not be measured by the service we do in the church; rather, it will be measured by the person we are at all times before the Lord. Yes, Hezekiah was a great king, but he failed at the more important role of being the priest of his home. We must remember, despite his great faith and trust in God as a king, the Lord didn’t measure his legacy based upon how he served----but in who he was. For Hezekiah, he saw the ever-so-important role as being King of Judah, but lost sight of seeing himself as a person in need of God in all areas of life and living in such a way where his life was consecrated for the full-time service of worship.